Historical Libraries Worth Seeing
Book people love libraries - all the more so when they are as magnificently furnished as The Morgan Library in New York, shown in the picture. There are also many wonderful libraries in the good old European world, exemplified by the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar and the monastery library in Admont Abbey. To visit such a library oneself is certainly an impressive experience. For many reasons, an on-site visit to a library that is particularly worth seeing is possible for only a few. That's where the Internet, with its image galleries, is a welcome addition to the senses. Pictures and information about the most beautiful old libraries are not hard to find.
Digitization Project of the German National Library
But a visit or pictures are not enough for book people, of course. How can one look at the books? Digitization makes it possible: More and more library collections around the world are being digitized and thus made accessible to a worldwide audience. The German Digital Library, for example, aims to create free and easy access to cultural assets. The goal is broad: Not only books are included, but also pictures, sculptures and sound documents, among others, are to be recorded. More than 34 million objects have already been recorded - so there should be something for every reading taste.
Digital browsing and turning pages
Reading the contents of old books is not enough for many book people. They miss the feeling of holding a tome in their hands, touching the pages, taking in the typical smell of old paper. Digital book worlds can't quite keep up yet, and yet the advantages of digital collections are obvious: thanks to the Internet, everything can be viewed from any location. Apart from that, the old catalogs with their index card systems have long since been banished from today's real-life libraries anyway. It's easier to keep track of everything with digital filing systems. Digitally browsing through old library collections has its own new appeal compared to traditional library visits. If you don't believe it, try visiting the digitized holdings of the University of Hamburg, for example.
You don't have to not be from Hamburg to browse the old maps and views of the city and enjoy the sight of the old treasures. Completely without the smell of dust.
